Short Tales of Konoha
by Lyndal
Summary: Unrelated short stories about the inhabitants of Konoha and their friends.
1. Angel, InoSaku SasuSaku

Angel

Summary: Ino mourns her lover's death.

Warnings: shojo-ai, SakuIno/SasuSaku.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor the song 'Angel'.

* * *

_She lived like she knew nothing lasts_

_Didn't care to look like anyone else_

_And she was beautiful, so beautiful_

_I still hear her laugh like she's here_

I buried my lover today. It wasn't as much a shock as I would've thought it'd be because women in our position die quite frequently – we are kunoichi serving our hidden villages to keep peace.

Let me tell you about my lover. We met when we were quite young – she was being picked on for her overly-large forehead and her unusual shade of hair. We soon became friends, only for a boy to come between us. We were rivals for quite a long time, eventually returning to a strong friendship. The boy left the village and returned some years later, and by that time we were together.

She and I spent nights together, snuggled in each other's arms telling our deepest, darkest secrets. By day we'd walk through our village together, arms linked and smiling, laughing with our friends. Between missions, she would spend her time at the hospital, and I would gravitate between a medical clinic and my parent's flower shop.

Things changed when the boy – man – we once fought over asked for her hand in marriage and she was compelled to take it. The funny thing was, I never saw it as a betrayal. Sure she spent the majority of her nights with him in the hopes of conceiving a long-wished for child which she would never have with me, but there were times when she spent lonely nights with me. Before anyone asks, yes her husband did know about them – he encouraged it for her happiness, not that she was completely distraught at being his wife and the mother of his children.

I became godmother of their first child – a beautiful little boy who had the colourings of his father yet the soft looks of his mother. I watched him – and their other two children – grow into strong children. It complicated things further, yet somehow things worked out.

_And when I go to sleep at night_

_I'll thank you for each blessed thing surrounding me_

_For every fall I'll ever break_

_Each moment's breath I wanna take_

_Confidence and conscience_

_Decadent extravagance_

_Never ending providence_

_For loving when I had the chance_

The last time we were together, she had embraced me warmly and kissed me fiercely. We spent our night lying in bed telling each other our hopes and dreams, our deepest and darkest secrets and desires. "I want you to be happy, Ino," she had told me, "If anything were to ever happen to me, I'd want you to know how much I love you and how much I'd want you to be happy." I laughed and agreed, saying that I'd want the same for her – for her to continue loving her husband and children. I was certainly not a selfish a lover as some would've though.

Two days later, at age thirty-five, my lover Sakura died on a mission. It was her husband who told me, and stayed with me until my tears stopped. "She told me that I was to comfort you if anything were to happen…" he said, "It's only right that I do this duty for a woman that loved us and my children."

"She certainly was an amazing woman, wasn't she Sasuke?" I replied. He nodded sadly, mirroring every feeling that I felt.

"I never resented her loving you," he said.

"She loved us equally – she told me the day that you proposed, and I couldn't deny her happiness with you."

"I knew how much you meant to her too."

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"I need your help, for the funeral and the arrangements…"

"Anything, just tell me what I need to do. How are the kids?"

"Upset… Would you be able to look after them while I go to the hospital?"

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

"I think so."

Today we buried her – our angel, my lover, his wife, their mother, her daughter, their friend, their team mate, their student. She was everything to us, and we were everything to her. I spent my evening at home – alone with a picture of the two of us staring out at me from beyond the glass.

'I'm glad neither you nor Sasuke are jealous of each other – I love you both equally, and it'd hurt me to have my loved ones fighting over who loves me more…'

I smiled at that memory – the week after her wedding and her first night with me in over three weeks. "We had enough fights over your husband to last a life time… I think I can manage sharing you with him and any children," I winked. We had kissed then, laughing at the memories of the adventures of Ino-pig and Billboard-brow, fangirls of Uchiha Sasuke.

'I love you Ino,'

"I love you too, Sakura."

_Angel_

_I hope they love you like we do_

_Forever angel_

_I'll be proud to be like you._

* * *

"_Angel" – The Corrs (Borrowed Heaven)_

Author's Note: That has to be the first time I've ever attempted to write something with elements of yaoi/yuri. Yes, I know I mixed it with SasuSaku, but I wanted to go for something unusual… Also note that this isn't a songfic, I've used parts of the lyrics of the song to set the mood for the fic.

Like it? Hate it? Tips? Tell me please!


	2. Thank You, Sakura Sasuke

Thank You

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor the song "Thank You".

* * *

_The fights, those nights_

_I tried to pretend it don't hurt_

_The way, I prayed_

_Someday that you would love me_

_Really, completely_

_Just how I wanted it to be_

_But no, so wrong_

_Can't believe I stayed with you so long_

They stood, no-man's-land stretched out in front of them, daring each other to make the first move. The sun was covered up by the clouds that threatened a wild storm, and the wind picked up violently – neither moved. Red eyes flashed dangerously, whilst green stared back in defiance.

'He isn't Sasuke… not anymore…' she reminded herself, 'Orochimaru may have not succeeded in taking over but it still isn't Sasuke.'

"Che, still as annoying," came the arrogant taunt. Calmly, she smiled at him – the fake smile that had tricked Sai only two years before.

"I'm not the same girl, not anymore Sasuke," she replied, "and nor are you the same boy – you have lost every shred of your humanity and your sanity." He snorted in reply and pulled out his chokuto, ready to fight.

Sakura nodded, chakra radiating from her gloved fists. Silence radiated over the field of battle – both standing in wait once again. At the first crack of thunder, they rushed at each other – chakra radiating through steel blade and human flesh.

_My head, near dead_

_Just the way you want it_

_My soul, stone cold_

_Cos I was under you're control_

_So young, so dumb_

_Knew just how to make me succum_

_But I understand_

_To make yourself feel like a man_

**"You're useless…"**

**"You're annoying…"**

**"You're worse than Naruto…"**

**"Sakura… Thank you…"**

Anger radiated through her body, willing herself to keep attacking despite the heavy damage she had received – although she had given as good as she had received. They were bleeding, bruised and breathing heavily from the effort.

Once again they faced each other, rain pelting down and washing their wounds of blood and dirt.

"I have underestimated you…" he said, "I should have realized when I was told that you were the strongest kunoichi of Konoha…"

"As usual, you didn't believe that someone as weak as me could develop in such a weak village…" she retorted in calm anger, her voice like the venom that his snakes had injected into her blood stream.

"I'm not going back…"

"I wasn't going to… my mission is to kill you,"

"You? Kill me? I doubt it,"

"Naruto sure doesn't like the idea… but the time has come – we know that both Orochimaru and Itachi are dead, and we know there is no hope of you returning to re-establish the Uchiha clan so as you are now a threat, I must kill you," Sakura explained defiantly.

It wasn't entirely the truth – there was never such a mission for her to take, yet it was something she had to do if she was ever to move on completely. She hoped that he wouldn't see through her bluff, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he already had.

"Have you killed?" he asked, re-sheathing his chokuto and stretching his limbs despite the wounds that reopened as he moved.

"I have."

"Could you kill me? I know you can't bring yourself to let me go, even after all these years."

"Like the Sandaime couldn't bring himself to kill his favourite student, like Jiraiya and Tsunade could only try and deter him…" she mused.

_You could've had it all babe_

_It could've been so right (so right)_

_I would've given you everything (everything)_

_Morning through night_

_Yeah, you taught me some lessons (lessons)_

_Those are my blessings (blessings)_

_That wont happen again (again)_

_Thank you_

"I won't make the same mistake," she said, chakra filling her hands once again.

They fought once again, this time fiercer than ever. Sakura wanted to prove her strength, and Sasuke just wanted to be left alone. They struck together, and Sasuke was the first to fall. Sakura knelt next to him, watching as his strength began to leave him.

"I shouldn't have been so surprised," Sasuke choked, "so annoying… you have become what I couldn't…"

"Thank you, Sasuke."

_For every last bruise you gave me_

_For every time I sat in tears_

_For the million ways you hurt me_

_I just wanna tell you this_

_You broke my world, made me strong_

_Thank you_

_Messed up my dreams, made me strong_

_Thank you_

* * *

"_Thank You" by Jamelia (Thank You)_

Author's note: Again, something different to what I would usually write (me being a sasusaku fan and all…). I have the belief that Sakura needs to be given more credit than she is in fandom – she has undergone one of the biggest character developments of the series and she has become less annoying as she was in the first series of 'Naruto'.

Ok… she might not be strong enough to defeat Sasuke in canon but in fanfiction anything is possible – plus it kinda shows up Sasuke's belief that he wouldn't have grown stronger if he stayed (probably one of the biggest flaws in his character, being too consumed in his revenge to think rationally - that's my thought anyway...)


End file.
